Forgiveness
by Uncle Voldy
Summary: Takes place after Belle stops Rumple from crushing Hook's heart in 4x12.. This is how I would have liked the scene at the townline to go. Will Rumplestiltskin be able to make Belle forgive him once again? Read and find out! This is the first story in a long time so please, forgive me if there are mistakes..


**_FORGIVENESS_**

His Belle. His sweet, beautiful Belle was holding his dagger and using it against him. How did this happen? This wasn't what he had planned.

"And now... now you can take us to the town line," she said. "Because we need to be alone for what comes next."

With a flourish of his hand he transported the two of them where she wanted, enveloped in a cloud of purple smoke.

"Belle, what are you doing?" he asked once they were at the town line.

"Finally facing the truth."

"No, please, put the dagger down and let me explain," tried Rumplestiltskin, pleading her with his eyes.

"No! It's my turn to talk," she exclaimed, tired of his excuses. "Do you remember the first time you saved my life?"

Rumplestiltskin could only nod, he didn't want to give her more reasons to throw him out of the city.

"You traded for me. I thought I saw something in you, something good," she continued, lost in her memory. "Well, I found that gauntlet today and that's when I finally realized that all signs that I've been seeing were correct. You'd never give up power for me, Rumple, you never have. You never will."

The Dark One couldn't believe his ears. The gauntlet? How did she find it? Where did she find it? He even forgot he still had it.

"Please, you don't understand," he tried to say, but his voice trembled. He was losing her again. He had to explain, but how could he? She wouldn't even let him speak.

"No. You told me that gauntlet could lead you to someone's weakness, to the thing they loved the most. Do you know where it led me, Rumple? To the real dagger," she told him, her heart still hurting after seeing what her husband had hidden from her. "Your true love is your power."

Rumplestiltskin realized that this was his moment: he could tell her everything, hoping that she would forgive him once again in the end.

"I like the power," he admitted. "But there's nothing wrong with power. But that's… that's not the point Belle, if you would just let me explain."

"You toy with words, Rumple. How can I trust what you say?" said Belle, wanting nothing more than to be able to believe him.

"If… if this is the end of everything, then please, sweetheart, let me tell you the truth. Then you'll do what you believe is best and I will comply, I swear."

The young woman could only nod. After all, he did have a right to have his say. Then she would decide.

Rumplestiltskin couldn't believe it. This was his chance. His chance to show her the truth, that he loved her more than anything in the world. He took a deep breath, aware that every single word was important.

"That gauntlet… it shows someone's weakness as you said, but not what they love the most."

Belle didn't understand. That's not what he had said back at the Dark Castle.

"You said…"

"I know what I said, Belle," he interrupted. "I said that for most people their weakness was what they loved, but not for everyone."

The girl understood what her husband was trying to say.

"And now I imagine you're going to say that you're not most people," she said, sceptically.

"YES!" cried the man, pleading her to see him as she used to. "Belle, sweetheart, my weakness is that dagger because anyone who has it can control me as if I were a puppet, a slave! My love for you… it's not a weakness, far from it. You, my love, you give me strength. When… when you're with me… when I know that you're with me, that you love me, I… I feel brave, Belle, I feel strong."

Every thought, every feeling was pouring out of him. He didn't want to hide anymore. 'Do the brave thing, and bravery will follow' she always said. Well, this was his chance to be brave. To make the right choice.

They were both crying at this point. He, because he realized that he had no chance to win her back, that his life was only full of mistakes. She, because she didn't know what to believe anymore, he sounded so sincere.

"I don't want to be controlled anymore. I want to be able to live without fearing of harming those I love because of that dagger. The price of that power has become too high, because that price is you. But now it's too late and you hate me and I can't blame you for it. I deserve everything, because I hurt you and that's… that's the most horrible thing I could have done. And now… now I'll leave if that's what you want me to do. I just wanted you to know that, though my life is full of mistakes and bad choices, there's one thing I did right: falling for you. And I never stopped falling, never will."

Rumplestiltskin was tired, emotionally tired. He had never felt so at loss, not even when he thought she was dead. At least, that time he knew that she loved him, but now he understood that he had brought her too much hurt to be forgiven again. He couldn't look in her eyes and see the hate there, so he turned around and he walked towards the line. This was the end. No going back.

"Rumple…"

A whisper behind him and a hand on his arm made him stop and turn around. His wife was looking at him with love, but it couldn't be. He looked down and saw the dagger on the road. Strange, he didn't even hear it fall. And then the last thing he imagined happened. She threw herself at him, placing her arms around his neck, and kissed him as if her life depended on it. Both were so taken with the other that they didn't see the bright light that generated from them. True Love's Kiss was working its magic, destroying his curse as it nearly did that day at the Dark Castle.

Belle felt herself being taken to the ground as Rumplestiltskin leg failed him.

"What happened?" she asked not understanding.

Her husband looked at her with amazement in his eyes. He couldn't believe it. The curse was broken, he wasn't the Dark One anymore. He was free.

"True Love Kiss, Belle. You freed me of my curse," he said, pointing at the dagger which now was completely blank. Then a realization came to his mind. "But that… that means… that you forgave me? Why? After everything I've done, after all the hurt I brought to you?"

Belle was smiling though her tears. "Because once someone told me that when you find something it's worth fighting for, you never give up," she said hugging him.

"Oh Belle, sweetheart…"

"Forgive me if I doubted your love… our love," she whispered into his hair.

Rumplestiltskin shook his head. "No, Belle. I gave you no reasons to believe me. But what I said was all true and…"

But he didn't have a chance to finish what he was saying because his beautiful wife had shut him up with a kiss.

"I know, I know," she answered once they were done. "Now I believe we need to go back to town but we don't have a car… I'll call Emma."

After calling the Sheriff and telling her that she needed a lift to return to the town she turned to the man lying next to her. "Now we wait," she said leaning against his shoulder. "And Rumple? I love you, too," she added, turning her face to look at him in the eyes.

Rumplestiltskin smiled happily and leaned in to kiss her. He wouldn't throw this chance away, no. The beautiful angel that was lying in his arms believed him and loved him. In that moment, he swore to himself that he would spend all his living days in making her happy.


End file.
